News

Writing Barefoot is the product of a creative writing workshop for young people, aged 7-15, which was held at the Dansville Public Library this summer, from August 1st to August 5th. Participants were led through a variety of creative writing and media arts activities by local teacher and writer Dan Folts. Funding for the project was provided by the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts through the Decentralization Grants from the New York State Council on the Arts.

Since the main library was undergoing a building project this summer, it only seemed appropriate that the theme of our workshop be "building."

Read more about our workshop here.

Soon our Library will look more or less like this:





And here are construction photos.

Dansville Rotary Club Pledges $25,Library Board President David Reinholtz announced the receipt of the first payment of $5000 on a Building Campaign Pledge from Dansville Rotary Club of $25,000. "We can’t thank Dansville Rotary Club enough for assisting us with this expansion project. They are thoughtfully investing in the educational and economic future of the community."

"Literacy is one of Rotary International’s primary interests," said Rotary President Jim Sullivan. "Our pledge and donation will support the children’s section of the library. Our goal is to help the library provide excellent children’s services."

"Rotary has taken two "naming opportunities" with this donation and pledge," stated Director Terry Dearing. "The Club has "adopted" the Children’s Story Alcove and one of two Study Rooms. There are still naming opportunities available for donors who have waited to pledge until construction began."

Construction on the addition began in February. Anticipated completion date will be December of this year. Director Terry Dearing can be contacted at 585-335-6720 for more information on the Capital Campaign.

The Fa’ade Renovation Guidelines were developed by Architect Rick Hauser of In.Site:Architecture, Louise Wadsworth from Alliance for Business Growth, Julie Marshal from Livingston County IDA and a local steering committee. The steering committee was composed of various building owners, business owners, and community leaders.

These guidelines will be used in conjunction with the two grants that are currently available. One is New York Main Street Grant for use in the central business district. The New York Main Street Grant applicants will be evaluated and selected based on these guidelines, as well as other weighted criteria laid out by the grant. The second grant is the Livingston County Fa’ade and Sign Grant Program. This grant will be administered by the County and they will also use the Fa’ade Renovation Guidelines in the evaluation and selection process. This grant is open to several other communities in the county. Both grant applications will be available in January 2011.

The Fa’ade Renovation Guidelines document is available here:
www.dansvillelibrary.org/2010-11-24_final-dansville.pdf

Dansville Public Library held its Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new addition on Saturday, November 6, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. A number of dignitaries and library supporters attended the event, including Senator Cathy Young.

Secretary to the Board of Trustees, Mary Ann Holden, welcomed the group of about 60 persons, and took the opportunity to summarize the plan for expansion which began 10 years ago. In addition, Ms. Holden gave an update on the current state of the project. A delay to the start of construction continues as final paperwork is filed with government offices.

Senator Young spoke briefly about her love of libraries and her long involvement with Dansville Public Library. She noted that her first official appearance in Dansville was a moment of excitement for the community. At that point she was on hand to deliver a grant of $50,000 later used toward the purchase of the neighboring Wilcox Auction property, a key move for the library expansion.

Members of Staff and Board joined Senator Young to dig deep and take the first official clods of dirt from the site to make the groundbreaking official. Other community members and staff took their places to dig into the ground. A mix of sleety snow and rain briefly blew in as the event came to a close.

Funding for the new addition has been derived from a variety of sources including private donations to the ongoing ‘Where Knowledge Grows’ Campaign; state library construction grants; capital reserve funds; and construction loans from Community Bank, N.A. and USDA Rural Development and ARRA funds. Gifts to the Campaign are still welcome, and pledge forms are available at the Library.

The Children’s Collection of the Dansville Public Library is now available for use at the former Reinholtz building at 167 Main Street. Hours for the Annex are Wednesday through Friday, 10-12 and 2-6 p.m. Saturday hours are noon until 4 p.m.

The first step in the Library’s building expansion project will be the removal of a 1937 addition on the east side of the Shepard building. Walls of rooms housing staff operations will also be demolished at the same time, and the shelving units attached to those walls, on the other side, will be removed. All these changes necessitated moving staff forward in the building, and and required placing a notable portion of the collection in storage. including adult non fiction books, reference materials, and young adult books.

To make room for staff and the most popular books, adult nonfiction, reference books, the children’s collection and young adult books were boxed and labeled. Through the generosity of owners Roger and Marleen Mark, the Library was able to rent the space at 167 Main Street and the children’s collection was moved, unboxed, and shelved in its new location.

The Board of Trustees of the Dansville Public Library awarded contracts for the addition and renovations to the Library at a Special Meeting on October 28, 2010. Contractors will be as follows: General Construction, Spoleta Construction LLC of Rochester; Electrical, Concord Electric of Rochester; Plumbing, Landry Mechanical Contractors of Honeoye Falls; and Lawman Heating & Cooling of Lakeville. Start of construction awaits final approvals from USDA Rural Development.

In celebration, the Board of Trustees and the Staff of the Dansville Public Library will hold the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new addition on Saturday, November 6, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. The event will be held on the lawn adjacent to the library. The public is invited to attend, with shovels in hand, in order to take part in this momentous occasion.

Funding for the new addition has been derived from a variety of sources including private donations to the ongoing ‘Where Knowledge Grows’ Campaign; state library construction grants; capital reserve funds; and construction loans from Community Bank, N.A. and USDA Rural Development and ARRA funds. Gifts to the Campaign are still welcome, and pledge forms are available at the Library.

Architects for the expansion and renovation project are LaBella Associates, P.C. located at 300 State Street in Rochester, N.Y.

The Library has not undergone major renovation since 1937, 13 years after the Shepard homestead was gifted to Dansville for use as a public library.

The Dansville Public Library, at 200 Main Street, serves 10,419 people from Dansville and the surrounding nine towns and villages. For more information about the Library and its services, or to take a tour of the library, call 585-335-6720, or visit us on the web on at www.dansvillelibrary.org and on Facebook.

Dansville Public Library district voters went to the polls on May 3rd at the North Dansville Town Hall to vote on the Library’s 2010-2011 operating budget.
A tax levy of $342,550 was approved by a vote of 41 ‘yes’ votes to 11 ‘no’ votes. In addition, Mary Ann Holden was re-elected as a Trustee to the Board. This will be her second five-year term on the Board having been appointed in November 2000. An increase of $18,500 over the previous year translates to an increase of five cents per $1000 assessed value on property.
The Dansville Public Library’s fiscal year begins July 1, and the total operating budget for next year will be $442,550, a 5.7 percent increase. In addition to income from the tax levy, the Library anticipates additional income of $100,000 from various sources including state aid, library system and other grants, interest earnings, and miscellaneous income from donations, fines, lost material charges and photocopies.
The Dansville Public Library circulates more than 69,745 items every year. Since 2007, circulation has increased by more than 12%. The library is chartered to serve more than 10,400 people and has over 5,940 borrowers registered.

In a new initiative aimed at getting New Yorkers outdoors, the state Department of Environmental Conservation has joined with the Dansville Public Library to provide fishing poles for patrons to borrow free of charge, DEC Regional Director Paul D’Amato announced today.

Sponsored by DEC and the local Fish and Game Club, the program allows Dansville library patrons to sign out one of 16 fishing poles, complete with a bobber, a hook and sinker, a package of spare tackle to keep and informational materials for up to two weeks.

"The intent is to give families and youth a terrific opportunity to discover nature through fishing," D’Amato said. "This initiative was made possible thanks to the tremendous efforts and support of the many sponsors ,State Senator Catherine Young, the Dansville Library, the Dansville Fish and Game Club and the New York Conservation Officers Association. This is a perfect example of leveraging limited resources in a cooperative effort to better benefit the youth and citizens of the state."

DEC used federal funds to purchase the fishing equipment. The federal Sport Fish Restoration program is funded by revenues collected from manufacturers of fishing rods, reels, creels, lures, flies and artificial baits. They pay an excise tax on these items to pay for the management of fishery resources, conservation and habitat restoration.

Fishing poles will be lent to area residents who have a Dansville Library card. All program participants must adhere to all appropriate fishing laws, including have a fishing license for anyone 16 years old or older. Season, length, and daily limits must also be followed.

The Dansville Fish and Game Club will supply the bobbers, hooks and sinkers, keep the equipment in working order and conduct fishing clinics. The Dansville Fish and Game Club recently licensed their club property as a fishing preserve which allows the public to fish there for free, without needing a license. Their first fishing clinic is planned for May with a local Cub Scouts Pack and the Dansville After School Program is scheduled to take part for June.

The New York Conservation Officers Association provided funds from the Shikar Safari grant to print informational materials on how to fish. These educational supplies are also available to be signed out with the fishing poles from the library.

"This is a great addition to our library that would not have been possible without this great partnership between the Library, DEC, the Dansville Fish and Game Club and the New York State Conservation Officers Association," Dansville Public Library Director Teresa Dearing said.

"Fishing is such a great pastime, but a lot of our kids never get a chance to experience it," said Senator Catharine Young. "This program will teach individuals of all ages to fish, to provide better local fishing opportunities, and to give participants an understanding of and a greater appreciation for natural resources."

See more details and the "how to" on Dansville Fish and Game Activities Page!

The Dansville Public Library Board of Trustees announced receipt of nine 5-figure gifts toward the Where Knowledge Grows! Capital Campaign. Three of these gifts have fulfilled the following naming opportunities: the Children’s Activity Room, the Courtyard, and the Mezzanine.

The expansion will increase the library by more than 7500 square feet and offer users additional books, audios, and videos for borrowing. More computer stations and a meeting room for use by community organizations and the library are included in the new addition. Renderings of the building expansion may be viewed at the Library during its regular hours of operation.

More naming opportunities in the Where Knowledge Grows! Capital Campaign are available to potential donors by contacting Director Teresa A. Dearing at 585-335-6270.

Architects for the project are LaBella Associates, P.C. located at 300 State Street in Rochester, N.Y. Fundraising efforts are under the direction of Danforth Development, 756 Powers Building, Rochester, N.Y.

The Dansville Public Library, housed in the historic Shepard Memorial building at 200 Main Street, serves 10,419 people from Dansville and the surrounding nine towns and villages. With annual circulations in excess of 67,000, the Library is a community center dedicated to providing a gathering place for residents to explore, to meet, to learn and to relax. For more information about the Library and its services, or to take a tour of the library, call 585-335-6720, or visit us on the web at www.dansvillelibrary.org.